Preliminary study on verifying the detection of gait intention based on knee joint anterior displacement of gait slopes

Abstract

Abstract. This study investigated the feasibility of the Infrared (IR) sensor-based walking aids for detecting the gait intention. To compensate for the defects of Force Sensing Resistors (FSRs) or force sensors, such as the velocity control problem on gait slopes, we used IR sensors to investigate knee joint anterior displacement in order to recognize the gait intention. We also measure leg muscle activities and foot pressure, in order to verify our investigation. We placed two IR sensors on the rollator center to sense left and right leg walking intentions. We took EMG signals of four leg muscles, and analyzed them. Foot pressure analysis parameters were the measured force and mean pressure. We conducted experiments on twenty young healthy adults. The results show that knee joint anterior displacement increases according to gait slope and velocity. We confirm similar results of knee joint anterior displacement through the IR sensors.

The Effects of Pedestrian Environment on Ambulation with a Walking Frame in Elderly Individuals: A Survey and Experimental Study

“…When considering the influence of barrier-free sloped roads, the changes in human physical functional characteristics are obvious. It was found that the forward displacement of knee joints increased according to the slope of the road and that the region of muscle activation changed when walking on roads with different slopes [ 23 ]. However, few studies have examined the impact of sloped roads on the upper limb performance of older adults with disabilities or mobility impairments walking with walking aids.…”